Classic and Ambient: STH Restaurant in Adelaide by Adrian Condina.

Strict yet effortless, STH is an upscale eatery in Adelaide’s Unley neighbourhood, designed by Adrian Condina. It marks the designer’s first hospitality project in Adelaide, following an eight-year stint in London designing notable restaurants and benchmark retail establishments globally (like this one we covered previously).

Grounded in the Italian heritage of its owner, Mark Zito, the design draws inspiration from the classic brasseries and bistros of Europe to the timeless designs of Mid-Century Modernist heroes Pierre Paulin and De Sede. The Adelaide dining experience is at the core of the concept and, although Adrian nods to the Continental Europe of the past, it is inimitably Australian in feel.

Familiarity Meets Novelty: Fugazzi Basement in Adelaide by Studio Gram.

Transporting guests into a rich underground lair, the boundaries between reality and fantasy intertwine in this intimate space...

Inside, curved banquettes symmetrically anchor the restaurant and carve out a centrepiece. These are upholstered in a supple tan quilted leather and set within polished navy semi-circular structures, matched with retro 50s-esque pale blue diner-style tables trimmed in brushed metal detailing. Framing the edges of the restaurant are six ochre-shade tables paired with caned bistro chairs. Adrian added walnut panelling throughout, rhythmically sectioned with downward linear metal strap trims in a gridded formation. Within these, hanging alternating deco-inspired aged-bronze mirrors and ceramic wall lights draw the eye.

The effect is one of warmth, depth, and movement. A golden-yellow high gloss ceiling arcs downwards elegantly to meet the wall panels and their metal strapping—a detail that is a subtle nod to train carriages of the past. On the floor, terrazzo embodies the familiar South Australian colourways of intense ochre, darkened sand and other rocky aggregate formations.

A Trip of the Senses: Melt Restaurant in Paris by Atelier HA.

Memphis design and postmodernist inspired, this smoked meat restaurant was designed with warm materials and colours in the spirit of an American diner...

For the ‘coffee crowd’, a service bar was added at the rear of the restaurant. Characterised by a Rosso Trentino marble bar top with swirling veining of earthy reds and blues greys, it’s the cherry on top, tying in magnificently with the space.

Colours, textures and patinas are masterfully deployed by Adrian in a palette that takes us from city to coast and the hustle and bustle to rugged landscapes—much like a southern scenic tram ride. Designed to be comfortable and ambient, STH restaurant feels like it has always been a part of the culinary fabric of King William Road in Unley.

ITL Restaurant Adelaide by Genesin Studio in Collaboration with Walter Brooke.

Pink palladiana flooring and stucco rendered walls celebrate the bygone era of post-war Venice that is brimming with Italian elegance and poise...

[Images courtesy of Adrian Condina. Photography by Jenah Piwanski.]